Community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus meningitis in adults

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Neurology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Staphylococcus aureus is an infrequent cause of community-acquired bacterial meningitis.
• This study focuses on describing the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients diagnosed with this condition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize adult patients with community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus meningitis.
• To investigate potential associations between bacterial clonal complexes and clinical presentation or outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Prospective nationwide cohort studies were conducted in Denmark (2015-2020) and the Netherlands (2006-2021).
• Clinical data and outcomes were evaluated for 111 patients with community-acquired S. aureus meningitis.
• Whole genome sequencing was performed on S. aureus isolates to analyze clonal complexes.

Main Results:

• The median patient age was 66 years, with 39% being female.
• Concomitant infections, primarily endocarditis (49%) and spondylodiscitis (39%), were present in 89% of patients.
• A favorable outcome occurred in 23% of patients, while 35% died. No association was found between clonal complexes and clinical factors or outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Community-acquired S. aureus meningitis is a severe disease with a high mortality rate.
• The condition predominantly affects patients with co-existing endocarditis or spondylodiscitis.